Is it really necessary for Christians to
use the Qur’an in their witness toward Muslims?
While it is important to have
knowledge of the Qur’an, it is not nearly as important as having a lifestyle of
faith in a God who is present and active in the world today. Jesus’s final
parting words to his disciples gives Evangelicals instructions on how to respond
to Muslims, to teach observance “to all that I have commanded.”[1]
He mandated that they teach obedience to the lessons that he taught. Submission
to his instruction was to characterize their lifestyle and therein the
hospitality of God.
Three out of ten Muslims in
America do not know a Christian; in the whole world, nine out of ten Muslims do
not know a Christian.[2] These
statistics are challenging when one considers how a Christian’s presence and
power should lead to Muslims entering the Kingdom of God. Fuller Theological Seminary
conducted a survey of Muslim converts who describe what influenced them to
become followers of Jesus. The results are listed by rank of relative
importance:
Respondents ranked the lifestyle of Christians as the most
important influence in their decision to follow Christ. . . . The next most
important influence was the power of God in answered prayers and healing.
. . .Next in attraction for Muslims is the spiritual truth in the Bible.
The Qur'an attests that the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel (commonly
understood as the New Testament) are from God. . . . Respondents were also
attracted by the Bible's teaching about the love of God. . . . Particularly
attractive to Muslims is the love expressed through the life and teachings of
Jesus. [3]
The results show that the knowledge a Christian
had of the Qur’an did not influence their decision to follow Jesus, rather it
was a lifestyle reflective of God’s power and love.
The Qur’an is a great
resource to understand how Muslims understand Jesus and Christians. Muhammad
held such a high regard for Christians who studied their Bible, he implored his
followers to inquire of these devout Christians regarding any theological
questions they could not comprehend.[4]
Encouragement within Islam such as this should inspire any Christian to
approach a relationship with a Muslim free from fear and full of hope in the
“good works” that Christ has already prepared before hand, in his pursuit of
reconciling Muslims unto himself.[5]
Christians and Muslims both stand in awe of God’s grace, compassion and mercy
within God’s redemptive history from Creation, the Fall, periods from the
Patriarchs, Law, Prophets and the Kingdom of God. Muslims’ shared reverence for
God’s scriptures allows common ground for Christians to easily connect in
conversation.
Specialist
knowledge of the Qur’an is not therefore, a necessary prerequisite to show
hospitality to Muslims over one’s dinner table. Jesus commanded his followers
to invite the marginalized to their own homes.[6]
Within America, one out of two Americans marginalize Muslims with negative perceptions
regarding their community.[7]
In addition, seven out of ten of the most religiously active groups in America,
the Evangelical, have negative feelings toward Muslims.[8]
Not only must the Qur’an be used to understand Muslims for the purpose of
friendship, but equally to counter claims that promote the sins of fear and
prejudice within the Evangelical church. At
a recent leadership forum for world Evangelicals, John Azumeh shared that it is
ordinary Christians who need to present the gospel to Muslims, not only the
specialist.[9]
This can only be done when Evangelicals repent of fear and embrace the call for
hospitality to Muslims.
Therefore,
it is necessary to seek intentional friendships with Muslims to combat negative
perceptions. Evelyn Reisacher writes, “The best way is to have many
conversations with Muslims and not limit these conversations to controversial
doctrines but rather share the gospel in ordinary conversations in the midst of
ordinary joys and sorrows.”[10]
Lesslie Newbigin adds, "For our grandparents, who were ignorant of the
spiritual riches of the great world religions, the idea that these were all to
be displaced by a triumphant Christianity was excusable. It is not excusable
today."[11] Success in
witness is not defined as convincing someone to change his or her religious
affiliation. Successful witness is a life transformed by the teachings of
Jesus. The Bible should be read as though one’s Muslim friend is looking over their
shoulders eagerly awaiting the truth therein. Jesus commanded his disciples to
readily teach others to obey what he had commanded. Evidence shows that the
lifestyle of one who follows Jesus carries with it an attraction that can
assist the needy where they need it most, regardless of what creed they adhere
to. For neighbors who grew up Muslim, trying to understand the Qur’an and the
relative truths it has to share is one way of living a Gospel-oriented
hospitality that demonstrates faithfulness to Jesus teachings.
Bibliography
Crowson, Natalie. Perfect strangers: Christians living among
Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims.
Issue. 11/2007. retrieved on July 23, 2012. http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/research.php/856,
The Holy Bible. English
Standard Version. (Good
News Publishers.) Kindle Edition.
The Holy Qur'an (Classics
of World Literature).
Trans. Yusuf Ali, Abdullah. (Wordsworth
Editions
Ltd). Kindle Edition.
Newbigin, Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Grand
Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing
Co. 1989.
Limpka,
Michael. “Muslims and Islam: Key Findings in the U.S. and around the World.”
Retrieved
12/01/2016.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/22/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/
Reisacher,
Evelyne A.. Joyful Witness in the Muslim
World (Mission in Global Community):
Sharing the Gospel in
Everyday Encounters. Baker
Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Kindle Location 4418).
Smith, Gregory A. and David Masci. “Exit polls and the evangelical
vote: A closer look.”
Retrieved,
March 13, 2017.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/03/14/exit-polls-and-the-evangelical-vote-a-closer-look/
Woodberry, J. Dudley,
Russell G. Shubin, and G. Marks. “Why Muslims Follow Jesus.”
Christianity
Today. October 2007. Retrieved on July 23, 2012 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/october/42.80.html
[1]
Matthew 28:19-20
[2]
Natalie Crowson, Perfect strangers:
Christians living among Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims, Issue. 11/2007. http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/research.php/856
Retrieved on July 23, 2012
[6]
Luke 14:13-14
[7]
Michael Limpka, “Muslims and Islam: Key Findings in the U.S. and around the
World,” http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/22/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world.
Retrieved 12/01/2016
[9]
Reisacher, Evelyne A., Joyful Witness in
the Muslim World (Mission in Global Community): Sharing the Gospel in Everyday
Encounters, (Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition), Kindle Location
4509-4513
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